Ball State University
@ Hawaii
No. 11 Hawai?i Rallies Past Men?s Volleyball
January 05, 2008 | Men's Volleyball
HONOLULU, HI - - The Ball State men's volleyball team could not carry over the momentum from a first game win over No. 11 Hawai'i, falling to the Warriors 3-1 (26-30, 30-26, 30-24, 30-17) in the second day of the 2008 Outrigger Hotels Invitational Friday evening at the Stan Sheriff Center.
With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 0-2 on the young year, while the Warriors improve to 1-1.
“Entering the week, we talked a lot about improving each night and realizing the tournament is going to be physically and mentally tough,” said BSU head coach Joel Walton. “I thought we did a great job in the first game tonight, but by the end of the contest, our energy level and focus were not where they need to be for us to win.”
The opening game saw the teams play to a 5-5 tie before a kill from sophomore Matt Sprague (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette H.S.) helped spark a 3-0 BSU run and force a Hawai'i time out. The Warriors battled back to tie the set at 9-9 and eventually built a three-point lead at 17-14.
This time, the Cardinals would answer the call, running off 10 of the next 13 points to pull ahead 24-20. Ryan Clarke (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway South H.S.) came up with two big blocks in the run, while freshman Marcus Imwalle (Maria Stein, Ohio/Marion Local H.S.) added an ace and a kill.
BSU reached game point on a UH service error, before junior Matt McCarthy (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South H.S.) smashed the game-winning kill.
Hawai'i answered back in the second set, scoring three of the first four points and never trailed. The hosts would pull ahead by as many as eight points, only to see BSU rally back within three at 28-25 off a kill from Sprague.
McCarthy gave the Cardinals life at the 29-26 mark with a kill of his own, before a BSU attack error ended the set in favor of the Warriors at 30-26.
The teams traded leads throughout the early portion of the third frame, playing to a 19-19 tie. However a BSU service error and some strong play at the net from the Warriors allowed Hawai'i to pull ahead 26-21. During the 7-2 run, the hosts collected five team blocks.
Freshman Lee Meyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller H.S.) tried the keep the Cardinals in the game with a pair of kills, but Ball State could not recover the momentum losing the frame 30-24 on a service ace from Jim Clair, who led all players in the contest with a career-high 23 kills.
Game four saw the teams play to a 6-6 tie before three-straight BSU kills - - from sophomore Jeff Schmitz (Fenton, Mo./St. John Vianney), Meyer and freshman Ted Garard (Northfield, Ill./New Trier H.S.) - - gave the Cardinals a 9-6 edge.
Ball State maintained the three-point edge at 11-8, only to see the Warriors post eight of the next 10 points to pull ahead 16-13. A kill from Garard brought the Cardinals within two points at 16-14, but BSU could not get any closer, dropping the game 30-17.
A trio of Cardinals reached double-figure kills, paced by Sprague's 12. McCarthy added 11 markers, while Clarke added 10. Clarke, who is recovering from off-season knee surgery, also collected a team-best five total blocks, including three solo stuffs.
Senior libero Ian Peckler (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills H.S.) paced all players with 15 digs, as the BSU backcourt out-dug Hawai'i 52-to-40.
While Ball State dominated in the backcourt, the Warriors were able to control play at the net, racking up 21.5 total blocks - - including 11 from freshman Keali'i Frank - - compared to the Cardinals' 7.5.
The hosts also held a .246 (53-20-134) to .103 (59-43-156) hitting advantage.
BSU concludes play in the 2008 Outrigger Hotels Invitational Saturday, with a 4 p.m. showdown versus No. 4 Penn State.
